Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Tuesday - March 31, 2015
From: Cedar Creek, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Privacy Screening, Shrubs, Trees
Title: Need plants to provide a privacy screen in Cedar Creek, TX
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
We need to screen out neighbor's house. What can we plant (fast growing tree or hedge) in partial shade? Area is dry in summer, but does get soggy during heavy rain. We live east of Austin in Cedar Creek.ANSWER:
Lets try a two-pronged approach, and start by going to the NPIN Database to come up with a list of plants. Using the Combination Search feature, Select Texas under state, Shrub under habit, and Perennial under Duration. Check Partial shade under Light Requirement, Dry under Soil Moisture, and 12 - 36 ft under Height. Click the Submit combination search Buton and you will get a list of 11 plants that meet these criteria. Clicking on the Scientific name of each plant will bring up its NPIN page that has the characteristics of the plant, its growing conditions, and in most cases images. Redo the search, this time selecting Tree under Habit, and your list will expand to 57. As you look at the choices, try to match up the plant with your growing conditions.
The second approach is to look at Previously Answered questions regarding privacy screening. I’ve selected several questions from Central Texas for you to consider. Click on the links below to get more information about plants that can be used for screens. Some of the links have additional links for you to explore.
More Shrubs Questions
Pruning blue potato tree (Lycianthus rantonnei)
July 14, 2008 - I wrote earlier about a blue potato tree(Lycianthus rantonnei) the top appears dead but if you break a branch it is still green, what would happen to it if I cut all the branches forming at the bottom...
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Selecting a tree for a backyard in San Antonio, TX
May 11, 2013 - Hello Mr. Smarty Plants,
I recently moved into a home in West San Antonio right outside Loop 1604..my treeless backyard is fairly small at about 55 ft long and 15 ft wide. I am torn because I can't ...
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Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) in Jasper TX
October 27, 2011 - Carolina allspice (calycanthus floridus) grows in my yard in East Texas. It is native to the eastern U.S., but I notice there is a variety whose distribution extends through Louisiana. Since I live in...
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Red buckeye not blooming in NY
July 04, 2011 - I planted my red buckeye in September 2007 and it was about 18 inches tall. It is now a few inches short of 5ft. tall. I have had it in the ground for nearly 4 yrs and it has never bloomed. I have fr...
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Restoring the woods in Central Austin.
May 08, 2012 - I live in Austin, south central between Red Bud trail close to the low water bridge and Bee Caves road. My question: I want to make the wooded sections of my yard attractive. They have filtered sun...
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